September 15, 2016

Phillies acquire OF prospect Joey Curletta to complete Ruiz trade

On August 25, the Philadelphia Phillies traded Carlos Ruiz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for A.J. Ellis, minor league right-hander Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later. The deal was officially completed on Thursday afternoon, with the Dodgers sending outfield prospect Joey Curletta to Philadelphia as the final player in the trade.

#Phillies have acquired OF Joey Curletta from the Dodgers today to complete the Carlos Ruiz trade.

Curletta, 22, was a sixth round pick of the Dodgers in 2012 out of Mountain Pointe High School in Arizona. According to Matt Winkleman of Phillies Minor Thoughts, the right-handed hitting outfielder has plus raw power and and a big arm. He's also Rule-5 eligible this season. Curletta slashed .267/.338/,496 with Advanced 'A' Rancho Cucamonga before struggling at the Double-A level, hitting .206 in 29 games. Overall in 2016 between both levels, Curletta hit .251 with 17 doubles, five triples, 17 homers, 67 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 124 strikeouts and 37 walks.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, The 6’4″, 245-pounder has been described by Baseball America as a “physical monster” in the past and has been limited to the corner outfield (primarily right field), where his strong arm profiles rather well.